How are the deaths of the sea lions potentially beneficial to scientific studies of human cancer?

1. It provided more insights into understanding of cancer induced by Virus in humans, because certain percentages of the sea lions that died of cancer were infected with herpes virus.

2, It also provided explanation to long lasting in-explainable behaviour peculiar cancer why some caners cells remained benign and localized, while some undergo metastasis and spread rapidly in tissues.

3. Furthermore it provided more scientific basis to the fact that cancer may be caused by interaction of the genetics, environmental pollution, and viral infection. As concentration of DDT and PCBs in some sea lions which died from cancer was high.

About 26 percent of adult stranded sea lions that die are diagnosed with cancer. Which is high for the population of wild animals. The research finding shows that death of a sea lion with cancer is invaluable. The research shows that sea lion pulp are expose to PCBs while in utero. This is a important health effects in the later life of sea lions, because PCBs can affect organ development.

During the research the Center collects samples from each of these patients to measure environmental exposure to carcinogens, it was discovered that most sea lions were infected with a herpesvirus similar one that causes Kaposi's sarcoma in humans.